


Damaged at Best

by Inali



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Adoptive parent Luke Skywalker, Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Ben Solo doesn't want a soulmate, Ben Solo is a 90s baby, Creative License, Detective Han Solo, Emo Ben Solo, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Angst, I don't know anything about the justice system, Lost objects soulmates, Mid 2000s nostalgia, No Underage Sex, Organized Crime, Rey is a Palpatine (Star Wars), Rey is a millennium baby, Senator Leia Organa, Witness Protection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-17 21:55:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28607103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inali/pseuds/Inali
Summary: Whenever you lose an item (like a sock) and can't find it no matter how hard you look it ends up in your soulmates possession. Many people take to writing their name on all of their belongings just in case.Ben has been having things show up since he was thirteen, and doesn't pay much attention to it anymore. No one could ever want him for a soulmate.Rey's been finding things that aren't hers her whole life and it's helped her get by. As she gets older and the trauma of losing her parents fades she begins to search for person who's belongings she's always saved.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 37
Kudos: 158





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So here's my first Star Wars fic. I used to write a lot but having kids i kind of fell out of it. Eager to get back into the game since Reylo fics have been my savior during the pandemic. I've got a rough outline, but am writing chapter by chapter.

**Prologue**

Han parked his police cruiser in front of the house already swarming with officers.

"Looks like this'll be a bad one Chewie," he commented as they exited and made their way to the home. It unnerved him how close it was to his own house, only a few blocks. He thanked the stars Leia was at work and Ben in class.

"Detective Solo, Detective Bacca," an officer named Derlin greeted them in front of the door. Han could see uniformed officers snapping photos behind him, but not much else.

"What'cha got for us Derlin? Looks like a homicide from here, nothing the organized crime unit needs to see," Chewie asked. Han was simultaneously pleased and annoyed by his partner's extra foot of height.

"It's a double homicide alright," Derlin sighed nodding his head for the two to follow him inside. "Victims were kneeling facing their killers. Shotgun blast to the face." 

"Shit way to go," Han winced as he looked over the bodies of a man and a woman. It looked like a mob execution alright. He wo dered what this poor couple did to get on their bad side. Owed them money? "They been ID'd?"

"Yeah, that's why we called you. The woman was one Jodie Solana; no record and passport says she's a Brit." The officer handed Chewie two evidence bags with the aforementioned passports within. "The guy though, that's William Palpatine."

"Billy Palpatine?! Son of Sheev Palpatine?" Chewie spluttered. Han turned to look at his partner when something caught his eye. An air vent on the opposite wall stood out with it's unusual placement. If the door to one of the bedrooms was open it would block the vent, defeating it's purpose. 

"Your people check this vent?" Han interrupted as he made his way over, tugging some gloves on that an examiner handed him.

"No, figured it's just a vent."

"Not uncommon to hide things in them," Chewie replied. "Could have a clue as to motive." Han nodded and crouched in front of the vent, no screws keeping it in place he noticed. Barely aware of the photographer snapping pictures over his shoulder he pulled the grate off the wall. Chewie handed him a flashlight without needing a word said between them. Han clicked it on, expecting to find a suit case or folders of some kind.

Instead he found himself looking into the terrified hazel eyes of a little girl.


	2. 6 & 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey meets some new people who are going to become very important to her

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone so much. I have a linknto my imagined floorplan to Rey's house, her dad did some renovations turning a closet into the hiding space and changing which way the doors opened.
> 
> Also, I have no idea how police work with this type of case so suspension of disbelief is required lol.

Rey sat at the window of her family's new [house](https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://obdresource.co/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/1-bedroom-bungalow-floor-plans-simple-two-bedroom-house-plans.jpg&imgrefurl=http://obdresource.co/1-bedroom-bungalow-floor-plans/&tbnid=90TE2zEL54nkHM&vet=1&docid=IOqKwHMIw2YbRM&w=736&h=988&hl=en-CA&source=sh/x/im) wishing to go outside. They had left London at the beginning of the month and were staying here for a little while before moving again to stay with some of her mum's family in Australia. They'd already moved around four times since her fifth birthday and now at six it wasn't exciting anymore. She wanted to play in the garden and make friends like she had back in England.

"Once we're settled in Australia things will settle back down, Sunflower," her parents assured her. "Daddy just has to bring some very important papers to someone and then no more moving."

"I'll be able to have friends and go to school?" Rey asked hopefully. She had done a year of preschool before everything changed and her mum was teaching her letters and how to read, but it wasn't the same. The only friend she had was her stuffed fox Vulptex. He used to be white but was now a bit of a dingy grey. She'd had him her whole life, her mum saying that his giant ears made him a good friend who would listen to all her troubles.

"I promise after we're finished here you can go to school and make so many friends I won't be able to keep track of them all," Mum assured with a tight hug and kiss on the nose. Rey nodded and watched her parents go into their office. Daddy spent a lot of time since getting here talking to someone on the phone and her mum usually stayed with him so he wouldn't get lonely.

"Course that leaves me lonely," she pouted resting her chin on her hands and gazing out the window. A small black dog with a smushed face raced in front on the sidewalk with a tall boy chasing after it. The boy was fast, but the little dog was tricky and had them both running in circles. Thinking quickly she grabbed the leftover crust from her peanut butter sandwich and sped to the door. Glancing back at the still closed office, she quietly unlocked and opened the door to the outside. If she was able to go outside to help and quickly get back in her parents didn't even have to know.

Pulling the door shut behind her with a soft click she crossed the lawn and crouched at the very end of the grass before it became sidewalk. 

"Come here, puppy!" Rey called as she held out her peanut butter crust. The dog immediately made a beeline towards her. Rey hugged him around his neck and let him have the food, no longer interested in running now that he had his prize.

"Thanks, Kid," the boy huffed walking over to them and trying to catch his breath. Rey took the moment to look him over. He was really tall with messy, black hair and was wearing jeans and a shirt with a weird looking smiley face and a word above it. 

"Ni-near-vay-na?" she sounded out. The boy wrinkled his brows and glanced down.

"It's Nirvana," he chuckled, crouching down to her level, or close to it and taking a leash from his pocket. "They're a band." He clipped the end of the leash to the dog's collar, but didn't stand up right away. "Thanks again for catching Beex. My mother would've killed me if anything happened to him."

"What kind of dog is he? His face is all squished in like he ran into a wall," she asked letting go of her grip on him and giving him a pet between the ears.

"He's a French Bulldog, they're supposed to look like that for whatever reason." The boy had a nice voice she decided, and looking at him close up he had lots of dots on his face and neck. She wondered absently if she could count high enough to count them all. "What's your name, Kid?"

Rey stopped counting his dots and inspected him carefully, he seemed nice. His brown eyes were warm and his ears reminded her of her trusty Vulptex. Big ears make good friends because they're good listeners her mum had said.

"I'm-"

"Rey Solana! You get back inside this minute!" Rey froze and the boy's eyes moved from her face to her mum.

"Guess you're in trouble, huh? I'll see you around, Rey," he winked and stood up and called out, "Sorry Ma'am!" before turning to leave.

"Wait! What's your name?" Rey asked hastily as she stood to go and face the punishment she was sure was coming.

"Ben," he said, giving her a smile and heading back the way he came. Rey watched him for a moment before trudging her way up the walk and into the house.

* * *

Rey spent the rest of the day in the room she shared with her parents with her mum checking on her often. At seven on the dot her mum got her ready for bed and slid the little trundle bed out for her to go to sleep. Despite being sent to bed early, Rey was still happy she met Ben and his dog. Maybe once they were settled again and her mum forgot she was mad she could ask for a dog of her own.

It was really late at night when Rey was shaken awake.

"What's going on?" she mumbled sleepily.

"Hush, you need to be quiet," Mum whispered. "Get into your cubby like we practiced." Rey's eyes shot open and she clambered out of her bed, grabbing Vulptex. Her mother stood in front of her and she could hear her dad talking with someone at the front door. 

"Wha-" Mum shook her head and helped her slide into the hidden room they had made for her. Inside was already a cozy blanket and a big envelope she recognized as something her father was working on a lot. The second Rey was inside the space between the walls, a small room her dad had made between the sitting room and their closet, her mum gave her a quick kiss.

"Don't come out until I get you." With that, she pushed the fake vent cover in and quickly made her way to Dad.

Rey couldn't see the front door, or much of the sitting room, from her hiding place, but she could hear just fine.

"You should have known Billy what would happen if you came back," a new voice said. "Get down on your knees."

"I just want out. We'll leave the country, never have to hear from us again." Rey saw her father fall to his knees and her mother too a moment later. 

"You can't get out, not with what you know. Is this whore the one who made you weak? Well now it's her blood on your hands," the voice sneered. "Your father sent you to England for work, not to fuck. Seven, go take whatever you can find of importance. We can't leave anything behind." Rey watched a man wearing red make his way towards the office she was never allowed in.

"I'll go with you," Dad said. "Leave Jodie here and I'll go quietly." There was an awful sound that Rey realized with a sickening stomach was the man's laughter.

"Billy, you know the rules. You can't be trusted anymore and I can't leave witnesses." A loud bang and a flash then a second one. Rey covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. "Is that everything, Seven?"

"Yes"

"Good. You two, help him get it all to the car." Rey opened her eyes just in time to see the man in red walk by with her dad's laptop and papers. The moment he was out of sight she could see her parents laying on the floor. She could only see from their shoulders down, but it looked like they were hurt really badly. "What a waste," the voice muttered followed by the slam of the door. Rey clutched tightly to Vulptex, she so badly wanted to leave the hiding spot, but her mum said not to move until she came to get her. For once, Rey thought it was best to listen. She was sure she wouldn't have to wait too long, they just needed a few minutes to feel better and then her mum would come and get her. She rested her head against the back wall and waited.

* * *

Rey woke to the sound of people talking and moving around. _Mum and Dad must be feeling better_ , she thought excitedly. She peeked through the vent, but didn't see her parents walking around. In fact it looked like they hadn't moved at all. Instead she saw lots of people wearing white with their hands and feet covered taking pictures and carefully touching things in the house.

"Your people check this vent?" A man with a gruff voice and wearing a leather jacket asked as he put on some blue gloves. Someone in white stood behind him and was taking pictures, the flash made her see stars. She rubbed at her eyes and slid to the very back of the hiding space as the cover was removed. He didn't see her, maybe if she stayed really still he'd go away. A torch shone on her face and she watched the man's eyes widen.

"Hey, Kid," he said softly. "You wanna come out?" Rey searched his eyes, they were brown and something in them reminded her of Ben from the day before. Cautiously she inched forwards, holding Vulptex in one arm and her dad's envelope in the other. The room went quiet as all eyes turned to look at her. Rey hated it. Something about the way they looked at her made her squirm. "Chewie!" the man called. Another man came forward, he was the tallest man she had ever seen in her whole life with thick brown hair and beard.

"Hey, Little One," he said softly as he also crouched down even though he still towered over her. "You been hiding there all night?" Rey nodded.

"You must be hungry," the brown eyed man said. "How about Chewie and I take you to get something to eat." Rey nodded again, clutching Vulptex and the envelope tighter. His eyes flicked down to what she was holding, then back up to her face. "I'm Han, how about we go get some McDonald's? My son loved that sh-stuff when he was your age." Han stood and held his hand out to her, she glanced down at the two things she was holding.

"Want me to hold your stuffy?" The tall man, Chewie, asked. Rey shook her head violently. She couldn't let go of Vulptex, hesitantly she handed him the envelope.

"Don't lose it, it's Daddy's work and he'll be very cross if anything happens to it."

"I'll guard it with my life." Rey nodded and looked back to Han, instead of taking her hand he picked her up and turned towards the door. Chewie stood right behind him, blocking her view of the rest of the room.

"Will Mummy and Dad be going to hospital soon? I think they're hurt really badly. Will we go there too after breakfast?" Han sighed and tucked her into the back seat of his police car.

"No, Kid, I don't think we'll be going to the hospital. Chewie and I have to go back to work, you wanna see a real life police station?"

"Yeah, that sounds like fun. And then Mum and Dad will pick me up when they're feeling better." 

Neither Han or Chewie answered her.

* * *

Rey sat in a room with only a table, some chairs and a big mirror on one wall. She swung her legs as she munched on her food, Han and Chewie had bought her a happy meal and a McFlurry. They even stopped quickly at a store where Han ran in quickly and came back with a large colouring book and box of crayons.

So now, Rey coloured Disney princesses between bites of food while Han and Chewie went to go do some work. A knock on the door and then a small, older lady came in wearing huge glasses.

"Hello, child," she said pleasantly, taking a seat across from her. "My name is Maz Kanata, you can just call me Maz. What's your name?"

"Rey. And this is Vulptex. I've had him since I was a baby."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both. Now, Rey, we have a few things we need to talk about."


	3. 7 & 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A couple months have passed since the murder and the trial date draws nearer. Ben and Rey reconnect after she has shut down after being moved from another foster home.

_Cast off the crutch that kills the pain_   
_The red flag wavin' never meant the same_   
_The kids of tomorrow don't need today_   
_When they live in the sins of yesterday_

**Red Flag - Billy Talent**

Ben was lounging on the couch playing _Legend of Zelda_ when his father got home.

"Hey Dad," he called as Han shucked off his leather jacket and placed his shoes on the shoe rack.

"Hey Kid," he returned the greeting and headed to the dining room table where Leia was setting down everyone's plates. "C'mon, smells like dinner is ready." Ben saved his game and rolled off the couch, stretching his long frame. He was already 6 feet tall and likely to add on a few more inches before he was done. He hoped he'd fill in more, at the moment his shoulders were so wide that shirts hung loose on his frame making him look skinnier than he was and his hands were big enough that he struggled to text with his Motorola RAZR.

"So how was everyone's day?" Leia asked after all three were seated at the table, her famous risotto on each of their plates.

"Fine," Ben mumbled. He didn't want to get into being teased at school for finding a child's sock in his locker. He'd been finding his soulmate's shit for three years now, at this point he was just thankful it wasn't a sippy cup or fucking toddler cutlery. Eager to get the attention off himself he turned to Han. "How's that case going, Dad"?

"Hit a bit of a wall I'm afraid," Han sighed.

"Oh no, what happened?"

"Did the mafia get your your witness again?" Ben asked shoveling another bite of risotto into his mouth.

"The Palpatine crime family aren't the mafia, mafia are Sicilian." Ben rolled his eyes, _Same shit._ "And no, as far as we can tell they don't know she exists and we're hoping to keep it that way until she testifies. She's just not talking."

"Not talking?" Leia asked. "Are you sure no one's gotten to her and scared her into not talking to you?"

"According to the staff at the group home-"

"Group home?" Ben interrupted. "You arrested Palpatine, shouldn't she be in, like, protective custody or something?"

"She's a child," Han sighed rubbing his eyes. "I can't set her up in a motel with armed guards, she needs to be looked after by adults."

"A child?!" his mother gasped. "Oh that poor thing. Is Luke still working as prosecution for the case?" 

"Yeah, he's already been briefed to be gentle when he asks her questions. Thankfully she's not the first child to act as a witness so there's already legislation in place to make her testimony as easy on her as possible."

"Oh yeah?" Ben asked, helping himself to seconds. "Like what?"

"She'll be allowed to bring a comfort object, like a teddy bear, if she wants or have a person up there to sit with her and there's now dogs that have been trained to comfort witnesses. We have to see how she feels about dogs of course, but the staff at the home are saying she won't talk to anyone. Not us, not the staff, not even the kids. She wasn't doing well in foster care, so her social worker thought maybe a group home would be better. Give her a chance to be around more kids, but it doesn't seem to be making much of a difference."

Ben felt a pang in his chest while his parents' conversation faded into the background. This poor kid was all alone and unable to talk to anyone, he didn't think moving her into a group home was a good idea. If anyone knew how easy it was to be surrounded by people and still feel completely alone, it was him. _The poor kid must be having nightmares after witnessing whatever it was she saw._

"Hey Dad. Why don't you bring Beex the next time you go to talk to her?" Ben asked suddenly, interrupting his mother mid word. "That way you can find out if she likes dogs and maybe she'll start to open up." Han scratched his stubble thoughtfully.

"That's not such a bad idea Kid. I was planning on going this weekend to see her, why don't you come with me? You can wrangle Beex until I'm ready for him, and if for whatever reason he doesn't help then I can pass him back to you and not have to worry."

"That's not a bad idea, we could probably have it counted as some of your volunteer hours for school too," Leia added. "Not to mention getting to say you helped with a police investigation is probably some very cool bragging rights." Ben resisted the urge to roll his eyes, everyone at his school knew who his family was. There was absolutely no chance anyone would think he was cool for that. Too many people knew what his family history was. _I'd have to fucking cure cancer and discover life on another planet for half those kids to even think I was sorta okay, let alone cool._

"Yeah, sounds good to me. I'm done eating, can I be excused?" he barely waited for his mother's nod before he was up and headed upstairs to his room. He put his headphones on and fished his iPod nano out of his pocket, the new red coloured one that had been his birthday gift that year from his parents. With Three Days Grace playing in his ears he opened up his backpack, pulled out the small sock and sat on his bed turning it over in his hands. Most people he knew found things like headphones, gloves, the odd bit of jewelry. Plenty of his classmates found bus passes or even student ID cards which made finding their soulmate so much easier. There was such a demand for having personalized items that most people had their name or initials somewhere on the stuff they tended to loose most often. Ben didn't bother, he had stuff with his initials on it if people bought it for him, but he never went out of his way to personalize anything. The sock was the same way, no name or initials anywhere. 

_That's probably a good thing, whoever my soulmate is they're either a child or old enough to have a child. Either way I'm still a freak. I'm either a pedophile or they are._ He pulled a box out from under his bed, opening it and staring at the contents within. _Probably the former,_ he thought bitterly looking with disgust at the items one by one. A sippy cup was one of the first things he remembered finding. He could almost track her age based on what was in the box, over the past three years he found less tiny forks and My Little Pony toys, these days he found socks and mittens, several different cutsey barrettes and Lego pieces. Why the Force would pair him with a literal child he had no idea, all he could think was it was yet another punishment heaped on him for the sins of his ancestors that he was forced to bear. He tossed the lone sock into the box and slid it back under the bed.

_Why do I even keep this shit? I should just throw it all away and pretend that I don't have an other half. I'm never going to look for her. I'm not going to be some disgusting cradle-robber._ But he couldn't throw the stuff away. He knew that if maybe they met when they were both adults he'd think differently, his own parents were ten years apart. Not that they were the best example, his mother was 19 when she met his father. Though thankfully they didn't get married until Leia was 23. Not that it mattered, his parents weren't soulmates. They met organically and worked out, no greater Force telling them they had to be together. He fell back on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. Being soulmates didn't always mean lovers of course. Twins were often each others soulmates, but in general people assumed soulmates meant sexual partners. Which made most people who had sibling soulmates either assume they didn't have a soulmate since they just found their sibling's stuff or they kept it a secret.

_I wonder what kind of shit of mine she finds..._ Ben found himself wondering as he drifted off to the sound of Sum 41.

* * *

"Can I drive?" Ben asked as they approached his father's beloved 1970 Ford Falcon. Han hesitated for only a second before handing him the keys.

"Gimme the dog," Han said gruffly. "Let's put that beginners license of yours to good use." Ben eagerly took the driver's side of the old, grey car. The pair of dice hung from the rear view mirror like it always had, but to his surprise had had to shift the seat back a bit to sit comfortably behind the wheel. "That seat hasn't been moved in years," his dad grumbled from the passenger seat, Beex on his lap. "How much taller are you plannin' on getting?"

"Trust me, if I could stop I would," Ben muttered as he backed out of the driveway. As it was he struggled to find pants that fit his long legs. 

The drive to the group home was fairly straight forward, Ben paid sharp attention to the road and focused on remembering all the steps of driving, when to use his signal and to shoulder check while Han gave directions. Soon enough the rolled up to an old church that had been converted into the home that housed the kids that weren't in foster homes for whatever reason.

"Alright, now I let Ahsoka know we were coming today with a dog to try and coax something out of the girl," Han explained as they got out of the car. "You hold on to Beex and follow me, I'll go in first and then you can come in with the dog." Ben nodded and took the dog from his father's arms, following him up the steps. Han knocked and the door was soon answered by a beautiful Hispanic woman. "Hey Ahsoka, we're here to see the kid. This here's my son, Ben and the family dog Beex."

"Come on in," the woman replied with a smile. "It was a good idea to bring her a furry friend, I think it might help." The Solo boys followed her inside as she spoke, Ben looked around the space as they walked. Everything looked like a weird mesh of an elementary school classroom and a home. Kids of various ages were all over either playing, or watching tv. Ahsoka followed his gaze. "She's upstairs in the younger girls' dormitory. The other kids tried to include her when she first came, but between her not talking with anyone and her nightmares waking up the girls who share her room I'm afraid the don't try anymore," she sighed before suddenly calling out. "Grogu! I'm sorry, I have to go deal with this," she said hastily. "First door on the left. Grogu! Get that frog out of your mouth!" He watched her stomp off towards a group of kids then followed his dad up the set of stairs.

"Alright Kid, you wait here for a minute. I'll call when I'm ready." Ben nodded and hovered near the door while Han went inside the room. Sitting on the bed furthest from the door and suspiciously distant fro the rest of the beds sat a small girl with brown hair, her back to them. Ben couldn't hear whatever it was that Han was saying to her, but he could tell he was doing his best to keep his voice soft and patient. Soon enough he lifted his hand and beckoned for him to join them. Ben set Beex down on the floor and followed the Frenchie as he scuttled over to the girl, jumping on the bed and wiggling his way onto her lap. She let out a small gasp just as Ben approached, before turning to look at him. He felt like he had been punched in the gut when her hazel eyes found his.

_Oh fuck. I_ know _you,_ he thought in horror. It was the little girl who had helped him catch Beex that day he had slipped from his collar.

"Rey, I'm going to go talk to Ahsoka for a minute. Is it okay if Ben stays here while you play with the dog?" The girl, _Rey_ , he reminded himself sternly nodded, her eyes leaving his face only for a second. Han gave him a nod, then headed back out of the room. Ben shifted awkwardly before deciding to sit at the foot of the bed, the furthest from where she sat.

"Hey Kid," he said softly. "Remember us?"


End file.
